The downtown redesign plan that would add bikeways on Main Street and Broadway failed after a prolonged stalemate at the April 7 council meeting.
Alternative 1, the recommended option of three that were designed for the City, would place protected one-way bikeways on Main Street and Broadway and only requires removing one parking space. The Council tied with a 3-3 vote on adopting Alternative 1.
The plan faced opposition from some downtown business owners during the public comment session. Concerns were raised about the impact on businesses, emergency services and truck loading.
Carol Munson, who has had a downtown business for 48 years, spoke against the plan.
“Why do we have three lanes?” Munson said. “We got an ambulance going down. We have police, the fire department, we have delivery trucks, and you’re not going to give them a designated place to park their truck to deliver 30 boxes to my store down the street?”
Some residents supported the plan and bike safety improvements.
Anika Rodriguez, also a downtown business owner, offered her support for better safety and accessibility for bikers and pedestrians. She spoke as a community member rather than a downtown stakeholder.
Rodriguez said she hasn’t been driving since 2014 because she has epilepsy and was involved in a serious traffic accident in 2020.
“It is a thoroughfare, and it needs to slow down,” Rodriguez said, referring to Main Street.
After 28 members of the public spoke at the podium, the six councilmembers became stuck in a back-and-forth for about an hour that produced the stalemate.
Councilmembers Katie Hawley, Addison Winslow, and Bryce Goldstein voted in favor of Alternative 1, which had been recommended by Public Works. Mayor Kasey Reynolds, Vice Mayor Dale Bennett and Councilmember Mike O’Brien voted in opposition.
Councilmember Tom van Overbeek recused himself because he owns a business downtown.
Goldstein reminded the Council of the time constraints for applying for the ATP (Active Transportation Program) grant which would partially fund the project.
“I’m really concerned about the timeline, knowing that the ATP program closes in June, and there’s presumably a lot of work to be done before making sure that this is a solid request,” Goldstein said.
Reynolds, who voted no, said she is “very close” to Alternative 1, but she wants more time and another workshop to address the concerns business owners have.
“I’m just not 100% comfortable on a yes vote,” she said.
Winslow said he would be happy to try to get Reynolds to a yes, but he was not sure if another workshop would resolve concerns.
“I don’t know that there’s another project in Chico’s history that has had as much community engagement as this one right here,” Winslow said, referring to efforts that have been underway for the past two years.
O’Brien, former chief of police, was concerned with opposition from business owners and also said he is worried that removing one vehicle lane will harm emergency services.
“This issue is going to be with us for decades,” O’Brien said. “We don’t need to decide that tonight. We can have further conversation.”
Bennett said he would always prioritize supporting downtown business.
“I want to protect the integrity, the profitability of the downtown businesses,” Bennett said. “I’m always going to lean in that direction.”
Reynolds asked the consulting firm representative: “Based upon what you hear from Council direction, do you think that there’s something that you could hold … for us to have community input, one more listening session, and bring that back fairly quickly?”
Aaron Silva, project manager at Mark Thomas, the civil engineering firm that worked as a consultant on the redesign, responded.
“My fear is that we’re going to hear the same input that we’ve heard to date,” Silva said. “It’s a lot of emotions about what change could look like on the corridor, and we’re not going to reveal any new information from having another outreach event.”
Silva commented on response in a public survey suggesting support for Alternative 1.
“It does receive the most community support,” he said. “It does address the plan for increased walkability and bike ability in the downtown core. It provides direct connections to existing bikeway networks.”
Reynolds then indicated uncertainty about a next move. “I don’t know where to go,” Reynolds said.
Hawley pointed out that given the vote split on the dais, Reynolds should decide on the direction of the agenda item.
Reynolds then made a motion to direct staff and consultants to hold another community meeting to discuss Alternative 1 and to bring the matter back at the next April meeting for consideration.
“I would like to have one more meeting, and I promise to put it on our next agenda, and we should still be able to make our grant, because I don’t want to wait two more years,” Reynolds said. “I definitely do not want to do that.”
O’Brien suggested not limiting the community meeting discussion to Alternative 1.
O’Brien, Bennett, Reynolds and Goldstein voted in favor of the motion. Goldstein explained that she voted yes because it was the only way to move the discussion forward.
Hawley and Winslow voted no.
“I would never favor some stakeholders over others,” Hawley said.
“I am frustrated by the results, just like I was frustrated two years ago when the councilmembers, with plenty of time to do all the outreach they wanted, failed to make a decision one way or another,” Winslow told ChicoSol after the meeting.
Yucheng Tang is a California Local News fellow reporting for ChicoSol.